(a) Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a raised embroidery process, and is particularly to one process applicable to all kinds of fabric and articles so as to obtain a raised embroidery masterpiece.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
There are many kinds of embroideries on general fabric, such as plane embroidery, extruding embroidery, etc. Plane embroidery is directly processed on a fabric without adding any filler such that the thread will be stitched through the fabric to appear a plane embroidery pattern. Extruding embroidery is processed by pre-placing a filler on the area to be embroidered and covering said embroidering area with the filler by thread, so as to accomplish an extruding embroidery work.
Extruding embroidery process in the prior art generally adopts pile-up process, i.e. stitching on the fabric from a smaller embroidery portion and piling up the thread layer-by-layer until the thread layer has extruded. However, such extruding embroidery process is quite time-and-cost consuming, which cannot be considered as an ideal process.
In view of the above, improved extruding embroidery processes have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,832,854, 5,947,044 and 6,164,228.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,854, the extruding embroidery is processed by pre-perforating densely on the filler along the outline of the 3D embroidery pattern via needle without thread such that the filler on the fabric may have consecutive interval perforations in-between the portion to be covered by thread and the portion not to be covered by thread, covering the embroidery pattern by needles with threads, and finally taking off the leftover filler to complete an extruding embroidery work.
In the above-mentioned disclosure, the perforation actually goes through the fabric, so that the fabric would have consecutive interval perforations as those left on the filler, followed by the subsequent embroidering process makes a closer perforations on the outline of the 3D embroidery pattern, which has the following disadvantages:                1. The formation of consecutive interval perforations is quite time-consuming, rendering a low efficiency in mass production.        2. Additional stitch on the consecutive interval perforations lessens the tensile strength of the fabric along the outline of the 3D embroidery pattern due to the fabric's being destroyed by the consecutive interval perforations. While the fabric may have uneven perforation intervals, when the fabric is under tensile force, which would become uneven consequently, the fabric under the edge of the 3D embroidery pattern would become easily worn.        3. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,854, it requires much time and work to adhere or sew the filler on the background material for affixing purposes.        
Regarding U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,044, the disclosure differs from that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,854 in terms of the filler placed on the fabric, which will shrink in volume when being heated (i.e. heat shrink material). Via a computerized embroidering machine, the filler is covered by thread according to the embroidery pattern. After the unembroidered filler is torn off, the edge of the embroidery pattern is baked by heat such that the filler left with the edge of the raised embroidery will shrink inside and that a raised embroidery work is completed.
While the disclosure emphasize heating the extruded embroidery edge to shrink the leftover filler, the heating procedure is conducted manually on the embroidery work one by one, rendering uneven heating effect, much time and work, higher cost, and inferior quality.
Furthermore, in case leftover fillers of bigger size expose, even if applying heat cannot make it shrunk and hidden inside of the embroidery threads, thereby making a rough edge of the embroidery pattern. In addition, the relevant skills of shrinking the filler by a heater have already been disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 7-316973 (filed on May 23, 1994) which is much earlier an U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,044 (filed on Feb. 10, 1998).
Further referring to U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,228, the main object is to place a filler of proper size, hardness and thickness on the fabric; covering an area smaller than the desired pattern via a computerized embroidering machine; removing the unnecessary leftover filler to form an inner protruding embroidery layer smaller than the desired pattern; and covering and shading the inner layer by thread, so as to complete an embroidery work. However, in such process, large quantity of threads and process time would be required, thus increasing the cost.